The Silence of Truth
by Murdock Calavicci
Summary: Decker has decided to force Murdock to talk about the A-Team. Dr. Richter is unwilling to stand by and watch.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own the A-Team. I own Dr. Henry and no one else. The drug used in the story is fictitious._

Dr. Richter sat at his desk, looking through various patients' files. He had to smile as he looked at Captain Murdock's file. Some days he swore that the pilot was insane. Other days he swore that the insanity was all an act. Either way, he was a fascinating case.

Dr. Richter jumped as the door to his office slammed open. An army colonel walked in and held out a paper. "Please confirm that this is your signature."

Dr. Richter took the paper. "No, that's not my signature."

"What proof do you have that this is not your signature? Several of the staff verify that this is your signature."

"The only proof I have is a lifetime of writing my own name. That is not mine."

The colonel took the paper back. "Doctor, until the investigation is complete, you are relieved of your duties at this hospital."

"What?! What investigation?"

"You are suspected of using your position to attain prescription drugs to sell for profit. According to this document and many others like it, you are prescribing unneeded medication to various patients, and most likely selling the drugs."

"That's ridiculous! Besides, I can't leave. I have responsibilities here."

The colonel stood to the side as another man stepped in the room. "This is Dr. Henry. He will be taking your position, pending the outcome of the investigation."

Dr. Richter glared at the other doctor. Silently he picked up a few personal items from his desk and grabbed his briefcase. "You had bettered take good care of these patients, Doctor," he spat.

After Dr. Richter left the office, the colonel spoke, "Are you certain you can handle your assignment?"

"I can handle it just fine, Decker. I want that pardon."

"That's Colonel Decker to you, Henry. You make sure you do the job right and I'll make sure you get that pardon. Are we clear on the methods of obtaining the information?"

Dr. Henry pulled a vial out of his coat pocket. "When you handed me an unauthorized drug that has been deemed dangerous for humans, you made it perfectly clear what methods I am to take."

"That drug is a last resort, but I believe you will need it. Captain Murdock never talks about the A-Team, even though they visit him often. I've even begun to suspect that he joins the A-Team whenever he escapes."

Dr. Henry looked surprised. "How often does he escape?"

"Sometimes several times a month. And sometimes it's months between escapes. Just keep an eye on him and expect the unexpected." Decker leaned forward and looked Henry in the eye. "I expect a report within the week. If you are unable to 'make friends' with Murdock, I want you to use any means necessary to find out what he knows about the A-Team, is that clear?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "How many times are you going to repeat the same instructions? I've got it. You'll have your report. Don't get your medals in a knot."

Decker glared at the doctor, then left the room. Henry sat down at the desk and sighed. "I'm mean, after all, how hard could it be to get information from a crazy person?"


	2. Chapter 2

Murdock hit the buttons on the arcade game as fast as he could. "Come on, baby. Beat this level, beat this,,, yes!" He began dancing around the room, singing.

Dr. Henry opened the door just as Murdock jumped up on the dresser, doing the hokey pokey. He stood watching until Murdock realized he was there. "Hi there, who're you?"

"I'm Dr. Henry. Dr. Richter had to leave for a few days. I'll be your psychiatrist until he comes back. I'm trying to get acquainted with all my patients. Could you tell me a little about yourself?"

Murdock jumped down from the dresser and onto the bed. "Sure, Doc. I don't have a couch but I'll lay on my bed so it'll be more like home for you. Let's see, you have my file, so you know my name, age, rank, serial number. What else is there to tell?"

Dr. Henry smiled. "Whatever you want to tell. I want to be your friend."

Murdock sat up. "Really? Aren't you supposed to ask me what I'm thinking and feeling right now? Duty first, ya know."

"Don't you want to be my friend?"

"Sure, I love friends. I wish everybody in the whole world was friends. But friendship works two ways. Tell me about you first."

"I'm not important, it's you that we need to know about."

Murdock shook his head. "No, no, I already know about me. If we're gonna be friends, I have to know about you. I have to know everything about all my friends."

"Oh? Tell me about your other friends."

"Well, there's Billy. He's a great friend, he's always here to keep me company. Do you like dogs, Doc?"

"Sure, I like dogs."

Murdock reached down and began stroking the air. "Then you'll love Billy. He's the best kind of dog. He's invisible, so he doesn't shed or make messes. And he can bark all the time and you'll never know it. Unless you're one of the few people who can hear him. Then his barking can get annoying sometimes, especially when he barks all night while you're trying to sleep."

Dr. Henry's smile had disappeared. "What about your human friends?"

Murdock looked around, then leaned forward. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course." Henry leaned forward eagerly.

"Sometimes, Billy thinks that he's a human!"

"What?"

"Oh, yeah. He gets up on two legs and walks around." Murdock stood up on his bed and pranced around, demonstrating. "Sometimes, he even sits at the table and eats with me, don'tcha Billy?"

Dr. Henry stood up. He wanted to get out before he lost his temper. "All right, I think that's enough for today. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Sure thing, Doc. Hey, tomorrow you can tell me about your friends! It doesn't matter which ones. They could be human, or dog, or salamander. Whatever your friends happen to be is okey-dokey with me!"

Henry gave a quick smile as he left the room. Murdock watched him leave, then sat back down on the bed, scratching Billy's ears. "I know, boy. I don't trust him either. But you didn't hafta growl the entire time, you know."

Murdock wondered about having the team check up on Dr. Henry. The man didn't strike him as psychiatrist material. He decided not to, grabbing a comic book instead. He would just keep a close eye on the new doctor.


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Henry rubbed his temples. Captain Murdock lay on the couch in front of him. In this session alone, he had talked about everything from why it is cruel to take eggs away from hens without their permission, to whether or not there are more invisible dogs in the world, to the proper method of flying a helicopter upside down.

The doctor pinched the bridge of his nose. If Decker thought this guy was sane, then the colonel was nuts!

Dr. Henry reached into his pocket and felt the vial. After a week of listening to whatever random thoughts were going through Murdock's head, he had decided that it was time to use the drug. There had been no mention of the A-team, or any of it's members. And to be perfectly honest, he was excited to be using the drug again. It had worked very well last time, before the government decided that it was dangerous. Henry looked at the chart in front of him, deep in thought.

"What do you think, Doc?"

"I beg your pardon, I wasn't listening."

"Obviously. Do you think it would funner to do a loop de loop or a barrel roll in a helicopter?"

Henry stared at the pilot. He was certainly glad he was never going to have to fly with this nut at the controls! "Probably the loop de loop."

"Really? I was leaning more towards the barrel roll. Someday I'll take you up in a chopper and do a loop de loop for ya! I promise!"

Henry smiled weakly. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm afraid of heights."

"Oh, that's okay, just close your eyes!" Murdock began rambling again. Henry stood up and walked around his desk. He sat in the chair in front of Murdock. Murdock reached down to pet Billy, who had started growling.

"Is that your dog?" Henry motioned to where Murdock was petting.

"Course. Can't you see him? He's right there."

"Oh. Now I see him." Billy snarled as Henry reached down to pet him. Murdock watched Henry carefully.

"You're petting his face, Doc."

Henry laughed. "How silly of me!" He leaned forward more and lost his balance. Murdock grabbed the doctor by his shoulders so he wouldn't fall on top of Billy.

Murdock gave a cry of surprise when he felt a prick on the back of his neck. "Hey! What was that?"

"I'm starting you on a new medication. It will help you tremendously."

Murdock tried to grab the syringe out of Henry's hand. As he reached out, his right hand began trembling. "Uh, doc? Is it supposed to do that?"

"A possible side effect, nothing to be worried about."

"But, doc!" Murdock's left hand, as well as his left leg began trembling. Henry sat back and watched. Within five minutes, the pilot's entire body was twitching and trembling.

Henry leaned forward. "Now, Captain Murdock, tell me about Colonel John Smith."

Murdock's mind screamed. 'No!' But his voice refused to obey. "J-J-John, S-Smith."

"That's right. Tell me about him."

Murdock concentrated on keeping his tongue still, but it kept going. "J-John." Suddenly Murdock had an idea. "J-J-John."

"That's right, come on!"

"J-John, J-J-Jacob, J-Jingleheimer, S-Schmidt."

Henry barely kept calm. "Nice try, Captain. Tell me about John Smith."

"H-his n-n-name is m-my n-name, t-t-too."

Henry listened to Murdock stutter through the song. When the song was over, Murdock began it again. Henry slapped the pilot hard, hoping it would break his concentration. Instead it made him louder.

"We have to find Smith. Peck was injured, only Smith can help him. Baracus is dead. Peck needs Smith. You don't want Peck to die, do you?"

There was slight catch in Murdock's voice, but he kept reciting the song. Henry grabbed Murdock's arm, placing one hand just above his wrist and the other just below his elbow, and slowly twisted it. Murdock moaned, but continued the song.

"You're going to talk. You won't be able to fight forever. Might as well give in. You will talk."

Tears began to form in Murdock's eyes from the pain in his arm, and it was getting harder to keep his mind off of Hannibal. "N-no!"

"Yes. You will talk. You can't resist this forever. Just talk and everything will be better."

"N-no! N-n-not t-talk!"

Henry was amazed. Obviously this wasn't a strong enough dose. The pilot must have had drugs like this used on him before. But, he couldn't do anymore today. He patted Murdock's now bruised arm. "That's enough for today, we'll continue this tomorrow." Murdock's eyes filled with fear.

Henry called an orderly into the office. The orderly looked at the trembling pilot with concern. "Don't worry, it's just an adverse reaction to a new medication. We're working on getting it straightened out." The orderly nodded in understanding.

After getting Murdock back to his room and restrained to his bed, the orderly wished him well and left the captain alone. Murdock gave a prayer of thanks that Henry had stopped the session when he did. As soon as Henry had left Murdock and the orderly alone, Murdock lost control of his voice. He began talking about Hannibal Smith. Fortunatly the orderly didn't pay any attention to the stuttered rambling.

Now alone in his room, Murdock tried to focus on keeping himself still and quiet. He had no control over his body as it twitched and jerked around. He was, however, starting to figure out how to gain control of his voice. He stopped talking about Hannibal and began quoting operas. He regretted not calling the team about Dr. Henry.

What if they needed him on a mission?!

What is Face came to spring him out and found him like this?

What if, God forbid, what Henry had said was true?!

Murdock wanted desperately to call, just to make sure they were alright. He could see the phone out of the corner of his eye, but his body refused to obey any of his commands.

Murdock sighed, thinking back to the session. Henry wanted to find Hannibal. Murdock had noticed a few MP's hanging around outside earlier. It's possible that Henry was planted here by Decker.

Well, Decker wasn't going to get a thing from H.M. Murdock! He would make sure of that.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N** : **Murdock's thoughts are in _italics. *_ The voices in Murdock's head are shown with asterisks.* **

Murdock pulled weakly at the restraints, softly singing to himself. It was pointless to fight the restraints, and he knew it, but it gave him something to do. Henry would be here soon. Murdock had found that singing before hand kept him focused on staying silent; he would simply continue the songs in his head. Otherwise, the voices in his head would start talking.

Giving a sigh, Murdock looked at his hands. Within about twenty hours of each 'treatment,' the trembling would stop. Except for his hands. He was scared that it might be permanent. He'd never be able to fly a plane with hands that shook like a San Francisco earthquake.

Dr. Henry made his way to Captain Murdock's room. It had been a week since the treatments had started. Henry was becoming convinced that the captain knew nothing about the A-Team. There was no way anyone could resist the drug this long. Unless he had been on a truth drug before. There were so many holes in Murdock's personal history that it could have possibly happened.

Honestly, Henry didn't care about the A-Team. They could outsmart the Army for the rest of their lives and it wouldn't bother him any. Actually, he almost wished that they would. It would serve Colonel Decker right, that self-righteous jerk. But Decker had promised him a pardon if he could get Murdock to talk. Henry smiled as he opened the door. He would get that pardon, no matter what.

Murdock glared at the doctor as he came in. He wished Henry would give up already. He was beginning to feel like he was back in the POW camp in Vietnam. His body started shaking as Henry came near, by now he knew very well what to expect.

Dr. Henry smiled at the pilot. "You have a visitor, Captain." He motioned to the door as Colonel Decker walked in.

"Good morning, Captain. It's a lovely day out there."Murdock gave a glare to the colonel, too, but didn't say anything. "I was just in the neighborhood, and I thought I'd stop by and see how you're doing."

"He's just about to take another dose of his new medication, Colonel." Murdock flinched in fear, but neither man noticed. Henry filled the syringe with the next step dosage.

Decker frowned. "That's not very much. You've been at this for a week. Shouldn't the dosage be larger?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "Didn't you read my research on this stuff? After the initial dose, you must increase the doses in the smallest increments possible, or the patient's body will shut down from shock. I didn't know he would resist so well, or I would have started on a larger dose. But I want that pardon, I'm not taking any chances of killing this guy."

He stuck the needle in the Captain's arm. Murdock concentrated as hard as he could on keeping quiet as he felt himself lose control of his body.

"You're going to talk. Tell us what we want to know. Sooner or later, you will talk."

Decker leaned close. "We have Peck."

 _'He's lying!_ '

"Peck is seriously injured and Baracus was killed."

 _'No! That's not true_!'

"We need you to tell us where we can find Smith. Only Smith can save Peck. Where is he?" Decker watched the pilot closely. Murdock's mouth began to move. Decker leaned closer. "Where is John Smith?"

"W-w-with, P-P-oc-cahont-tis."

"Give up, Captain. Tell us what we want to know. You know that old saying, 'the truth will set you free'."

Murdock gave a weak smile. "T-truth? I h-have t-t-truth."

"Yes, you do. Now tell us where to find Smith!"

"N-no. S-silence is t-t-truth."

Decker grabbed the pilot by the shoulders and shook him. "Where is Colonel Smith?!"

Suddenly, Murdock's eyes rolled back and the convulsions became stronger.

"He's having a seizure!"

Murdock wanted to laugh at both of them, he hadn't told them a thing! And he wasn't going to. He was afraid of the voices, but staying with them would protect Hannibal. It was the only way to keep the truth silent. He almost felt the voices floating around him.

*You're worthless. If you were important, the guys would have rescued you by now.*

*You can't resist them forever. Give up.*

*You're alone now.*

The pilot's eyes, usually so clear, clouded over. The voices grew louder and multiplied.

*No one loves you. That's why you're stuck here.*

*You're going to talk. You are weak. Hannibal is in danger, because of you!*

Murdock screamed.


	5. Chapter 5

Dr. Richter had used every excuse possible to come back to the VA. He hated the thought of someone else looking after his patients. He called everyday, but the nurses were under strict orders that Richter's calls were only to be taken by Dr. Henry, who apparently very seldom answered his phone. Finally, he thought up an excuse that Decker couldn't refuse. Richter had hid his daughter's birthday present in his office so there would no chance of her finding it when she came to his house. He asked Decker if he could come get it from his office. Decker couldn't find a reason to refuse that. Richter smiled. So what if his daughter's birthday wasn't for another month!

Richter stepped out of the elevator. A nurse walking by looked at him with surprise. "Dr. Richter, I'm glad you're back!"

Richter smiled sadly. "I'm not back yet. Colonel Decker keeps prolonging the investigation. I just stopped by to pick up my daughter's birthday present. I hid it in my office."

The nurse's smile faded. "I thought maybe you were here to check on poor Mr. Murdock."

"Murdock? What's wrong?"

"I guess you haven't heard. Mr. Murdock is suffering a severe adverse reaction to his new medication."

"New medication? What kind of reaction?"

"Trembling, seizures. Actually, for the past three days, he's been catatonic."

Richter shook his head. "Why is the medication continuing?"

"I don't know. Dr. Henry said that stopping it be worse than continuing."

"Have any other patients been started on new medication?"

"No, I don't believe so."

Richter thought for a moment. "Nurse Floyd, I have permission to stop at my office, but that's it. Technically, I'm not supposed to be talking to you. But since I've already broke a rule, could you help me sneak in to see Murdock, just for a minute?"

Nurse Floyd smiled. "Of course! I'm very fond of Mr. Murdock. If anyone can help him, I know you can!"

They hurried to Murdock's room. Richter stared through the window at the captain. "If he's catatonic, why is he restrained?"

"Dr. Henry said that he was very violent. He ordered the restraints to be kept on Mr. Murdock just in case."

"And I suppose the green and purple marks on his arms are crayon drawings."

The nurse hung her head. "Mr. Murdock kept trying to attack Dr. Henry. Those are bruises from when Dr. Henry had to grab Mr. Murdock in self defense."

Richter shook his head in disbelief, then went into Murdock's room. Nurse Floyd stood right outside the door, keeping watch. Richter pulled a chair over and sat down beside Murdock's bed. It had been almost three weeks since he had seen the captain, and he couldn't believe how bad Murdock looked. His face was gaunt and pale, his hands shook, his arms were almost completely covered in bruises, and his vacant eyes stared straight ahead.

Richter touched Murdock's arm, but there was no response.

"Murdock, it's Dr. Richter. Can you hear me?"

No response.

"Dr. Richter, I hear Dr. Henry coming this way!"

"I'm coming, Janice." Richter looked at Murdock. "I've got to go, but I'll be back. I'll find a way to help you."

Richter and Nurse Floyd hurried away just as Henry and Decker came around the corner. "Colonel, there weren't any cases like this in the trial studies I did. He's had to have had some kind of experience like this before. But as far as his current condition, I blame it on all the medications he's on. With all the pills those nurses shove down his throat, I'm surprised that he didn't have a worse reaction than this!"

"What do you suggest, Henry?"

"Stop increasing the dosage for a few days. Then increase and hold that dosage for a few days. Honestly, I think his system just can't handle all the drugs that are in it."

Henry and Decker stopped at Murdock's door and looked in at him. "We'll try your plan, Henry. He knows where Smith is, I know he does."

"You know, Colonel, I don't know a thing about psychiatry, but I think you're overly obsessed with this A-Team."

Decker gave him a look that shot daggers. "Those outlaws have avoided capture, and escaped when captured for too long! It's time for them to pay for their crimes!"

"If you say so. But I still think you're obsessed with them."

"You do, do you? If you want to keep your hind end out of prison, do your job and mind your own business!" With that, Decker stomped away.

Henry watched him go, than looked back in at Murdock. "It's nothing personal, Captain. I just don't want to go back to prison."

Decker stepped off the elevator at the ground floor. He turned as he heard someone call his name.

"Colonel Decker, may I have a word with you?"

Decker held up a hand. "The investigation is still in progress, Richter. You will be notified when it is complete."

"That's not what I wanted to talk about. Could I please go see my patients for a few minutes?"

"No! You were allowed a quick visit to your office, which I see you have already made." He motioned to the wrapped present under Richter's arm.

"Yes, I have. But I'm concerned about my patients. Comes with being a doctor, I guess. Could I at least see one of my patients? His name is H.M. Murdock."

Decker eyed Richter suspiciously. "Murdock?"

"Yes. You see, he's a very special case. I just wish to check on him."

"All patients are being taken care of, Doctor. You do not have permission to see them. Now, please excuse me. I have important work to do."

Richter watched the colonel walk away. "Yeah, chasing three men all over the country is very important work. But that does give me an idea." Smiling, Richter headed towards the door. "The A-Team will be able to get Murdock out of here!"


	6. Chapter 6

Face looked around the beach house he had scammed. It looked nice, but it was going to look even better when he got Cindy there tonight!

He stood at the floor length mirror, adjusting his tie and fixing his hair. "Oh, irresistible you. Poor Cindy doesn't have a chance."

"Not with that cologne you wearin', she don't." Face jumped back. BA was looking in the open window. "One whiff of that stuff, 'n she'll probably keel over."

"BA, give me a heart attack, will ya! I thought you were out of town at that baseball tournament for the youth center. What's going on?"

"Don't know. Hannibal called me this morning, said to meet him here."

"Yes, I did." Hannibal came around the corner of the house. Both BA and Face could tell by Hannibal's expression that whatever was going on, it wasn't good. Face opened the door to let the two men come inside. "Mr. Lee received a very interesting call this morning."

Face and BA sat down in the den and looked up at their CO. Hannibal bit off the end of a cigar and lit it.

"Um, Hannibal, are you going to tell us about the call, or should we start guessing?"

Hannibal blow a cloud of smoke. "Dr. Richter wants to hire the A-Team."

"What does he want us, wait a minute. Dr. Richter, isn't that,,,"

"The fool's shrink?"

Face rolled his eyes. "Actually, BA, I was going to say 'Murdock's psychiatrist', but that works, too. What does he want?"

"He said that Murdock is in danger."

"How could Murdock be in danger?"

"That's what I want to know. BA, is the van ready?"

"Perfect shape, Hannibal."

"Good. Let's head to Richter's house. He's waiting for us. I want to make sure this is on the level, not a trap."

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Dr. Richter poured himself another cup of coffee. His mind was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice that the coffee was cold. He hoped Colonel Smith would get here very soon. He needed to get Murdock away from Henry, but he had no idea how to do it on his own.

Richter turned to go back into his study. He dropped his coffee when he saw three figures standing in the kitchen with him. Finally realizing who it was, he sighed with relief. "I do have a doorbell, Smith."

Hannibal grinned as he stuck his cigar in his mouth. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Hey, doc. You say that crazy fool in danger?"

Richter's smile faded and he motioned to the next room. "Let's go sit down, and I'll tell you what's been going on."

Face shook his head. "No, thanks. I have a thing about siting on a couch with a shrink, no offense."

"None taken. But I need to sit down from that scare you gave me!" Richter sat at the table.

Hannibal sat down across from him and motioned for Face and BA to sit, too. "What's going on, Richter?"

"I'm not really sure. I was suspended from the VA three weeks ago pending an investigation of a ridiculous charge. But the investigation keeps being put off. The doctor that was assigned in my place has started Murdock on some kind of new medication. I don't know what it is. According to one of the nurses, he's been having tremors and seizures, and for three days, has been catatonic. I may lose my job over this, but I want to hire you to get him out of there. I know you have the ability do anything you set your minds to. You demonstrated that very well when the four of you rescued me from Mack Stoddard."

BA growled and stood up. "Let's go get the fool."

"Wait, BA. Doctor, why would they still be giving Murdock this new medication if they can see what it's doing to him?"

"I don't know. The nurse I talked to didn't know, either. Maybe Henry's under orders from that colonel who suspended me to do this."

"What colonel?"

"Colonel Decker."

"Well, that explains it." Face rolled his eyes. "The man never gives up, does he?"

"I doubt it's a medication, more like a truth serum. Were any other patients started on this drug?"

"As far as I know, none besides Murdock. You've got to get him out of there."

"We will. I've got a plan!"

 **-A\N-**

 **A/N: The reference to Richter and Mack Stoddard is from the episode The Doctor Is Out**


	7. Chapter 7

Dr. Henry woke with a start at the sound of the phone ringing. He yawned as he looked out the dark window. He hadn't meant to fell asleep. It was bad enough being at a mental hospital during the day, he definitely didn't want to be there at night.

He finally managed to find the phone under the piles of papers on the desk. "Hello?"

"Henry, this is Colonel Decker. How is your report for this week coming?"

"It's fine, Mother. I have it right in front of me." That wasn't exactly a lie, it was somewhere in front of him.

"I am a colonel in the United States Army and you will treat me as such!"

"And I'm a convicted murderer. Big deal. Did you honestly call me just to check on my report?"

Henry could hear Decker taking deep breaths. "No, I also called to see if there have been any changes with Captain Murdock."

"None. As a matter of fact, I,,," Henry stopped talking. He heard Decker yelling at someone. "Decker, what's going on?"

"The A-Team has just been spotted on the north side of town. I'll get them this time!"

"Well, hooray!" Henry rolled his eyes and hung up. He glanced through the papers on his desk, Murdock's file, a few files of random patients, and a couple files about the A-Team. He grabbed a handful of loose papers and shoved them in the filing cabinet.

Suddenly, everything went dark. Henry stumbled to the door and into the hallway. Nurses and orderlies were hurrying around, finding flashlights. "Don't worry, Dr. Henry. This happens quite often. The patients will be fine," a nurse assured him.

Henry's heart sank. According to the hospital files that he had read, pretty much every time an unexpected blackout occurred, Murdock disappeared. Henry ran towards Murdock's room as fast as he could.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Face was more nervous now than he had ever been. This would be the first time he had inside help getting Murdock out of the VA. Richter had called one of the nurses, a Miss Janice Floyd, who wanted to help Murdock. Nurse Floyd was supposed to get Murdock in a wheelchair, wait the power to be cut, then bring him downstairs. Thank heaven for the backup generators that kept the elevators running!

Face pulled his coat up around his face, adjusted the glasses, and pulled his hat lower. The nurse thought that she was going to be meeting with Dr. Richter. Personally, Face thought that Hannibal should play the part of Richter. The two of them were, well, closer to the same age. Instead, Hannibal was cutting the power, while BA lead the MP's on a chase around town.

Face glanced at his watch when the lights went off. Right on time. He figured that they would have more time than usual because no one would expect Murdock to go anywhere in his condition, but he hoped that nurse hurried anyway.

When Nurse Floyd came outside, Face's first thought was 'Lucky me, she's a Miss!' But all thoughts about the nurse's, um, alluring attributes were quickly forgotten when he saw Murdock slumped over in the wheelchair. Nurse Floyd unstrapped Murdock from the chair and Face picked him up in a fireman's carry.

The nurse followed Face as he carried Murdock to his car. "Dr. Richter, you told me I might get in trouble for this. I don't care if I do. No one should be treated like this!"

Face kept his voice in a hoarse whisper to disguise it. "Thank you, Janice. I appreciate your help, and I'm sure he will, too."

After Murdock was in the backseat, Janice handed Face a duffel bag. "I packed a change of clothes for him. And his hat and jacket. I knew he would want those."

"Thank you, Janice." It was getting harder for Face to keep his hands to himself.

"And I thought you should have this." Janice held up a file.

"What is that?" Face took the file, but it was too dark to read it.

"I'm not for sure, but it was under Mr. Murdock's mattress. I thought it might be important."

Face took Janice's hands in his. "Janice, you're an amazing person." He gave her a quick kiss on the check. "Now, hurry back inside before anyone notices you're missing!"

As Janice ran back inside, Face saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. "Perfect." He jumped in the back with Murdock as Hannibal jumped in the driver's seat. Normally, Face would have been complaining about Hannibal's driving, but there were more important things to worry about.

He stroked the captain's hair and quietly spoke to him. "Murdock? Hey, buddy, it's Face. It's time to wake up now. You're safe."

Hannibal kept glancing at the two in the back. "How is he, Lieutenant?"

"Hannibal, what did they do to him?!" Face held Murdock's shaking hands. "What kind of people would do this?"

Hannibal wasn't sure how to answer. "They're not people, Face. They're slimeballs."

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Henry stood in Murdock's room, looking down at the empty bed. The A-Team. It had to be the A-Team! He checked the mattress. The file was gone. Henry clenched his fists. He would find them! They weren't going to take his pardon or his research away from him!

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Richter paced around his study, staring out the window. How long was it going to take them? Maybe they got caught!

"Of course not, Doctor. We just had to wait for BA."

Richter jumped at the sound of Hannibal's voice. He hadn't realized that he had been thinking out loud.

BA glared at Hannibal. "You hadta wait 'cuz that shortcut road you told me about was closed!"

Hannibal shrugged. "Well, you got away anyway!"

Richter hurried to BA, who was carrying Murdock. Richter felt Murdock's pulse."Come on, let's put him in the upstairs bedroom."

Richter tried to help BA carry the pilot, but BA growled and held Murdock close. Richter shrugged and lead the way up the stairs, then turned the light on in the spare bedroom. Hannibal and Face hurried in and pulled down the covers on the bed. BA carefully laid Murdock down. Richter was surprised how gently the big man handled the captain. Face and BA straightened the pajamas that Murdock was wearing as Hannibal talked to him, trying to get him to look at them. Richter wanted to check on Murdock himself, but he knew that having his friends around him was the best thing for him.

Finally, Hannibal ordered his men to stand back so Richter could examine the captain.

"Will the fool be alright?"

"I think he will be now. I just wish I knew what this drug is."

"Oh yeah!" Face dug into his jacket and pulled out the file. "The nurse gave this to me. She said it was under Murdock's mattress. I don't know what it is."

Richter grabbed the file and looked at it. He swore under his breath as he read it.

"What?!" BA clenched his fists.

"You were right, Hannibal, it is a truth serum. The developers called it Vero. It was created for the CIA to use in interagations. I was approached about testing it on my patients, but I refused. When the developers couldn't get volunteers, they kidnapped about a hundred people and experimented on them. Of the hundred people, only twelve of them survived. After the government found out how dangerous it was, they shut the project down and arrested the people in charge of it for abduction and manslaughter."

Face stood beside the bed, as if protecting Murdock. "Why was a drug like that allowed to be used in the VA hospital?"

"Probably because it works. If Decker is as determined to capture you as you say, he probably thought that this drug was his guaranteed way."

"The fool wouldn't tell."

"I agree with you. If he had talked, Decker would be after you, not still drugging Murdock."

Hannibal chewed on his cigar. "What can we do for Murdock, Richter?"

"Right now, we've just got to let the drug leave his system. Keep talking to him and touching him, let him know you're with him. I think that will be the best treatment. I've still got the paperwork from the Vero testing somewhere in my basement. I'll find out everything I can about it."

As Richter left the room, he couldn't help but look back. Face stood on one side of the bed, stroking Murdock's hair and holding his hand. On the other side, BA patted Murdock's shoulder, while Hannibal held his other hand.

Richter smiled. If anything was going to bring Murdock back, it was these three men.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Murdock's thoughts are shown in _italics_. *The voices in Murdock's head are shown with asterisks***

Murdock felt like he was under water and he was slowly coming to the surface. He tried to pull himself back down.

 _'I have to stay. I can't go back.'_

*What's it matter? They've already hurt Face.*

*And BA is dead, remember?*

 _'But Hannibal is still safe, right?'_

*Maybe.*

*You're so weak you probably talked.*

*You never were good for anything.*

 _'No_!'

*Hannibal might be hurt. Or dead. And it's all your fault!*

 _'No! I didn't talk! I'd never betray Hannibal!_ ' Murdock felt himself start trembling. He had to stay away, he couldn't come back. He had to protect Hannibal.

He felt someone shake him. "Wake up, fool. Come on, Murdock, wake up!"

 _'BA? That's BA!'_

*No. BA is dead.*

' _No, no. That's BA!_ '

*Thats what they want you to think. So you'll talk.*

*They know you'll trust him. He's not real.*

Murdock slowly opened his eyes and looked up.

BA looked down at him, almost smiling. "Hey, man. How ya feelin'?"

Tears started running down Murdock's face. It looked like BA. It sounded like BA. But how could he know for sure?

*They're good. They know you'll believe it's really BA.*

*If you talk, they'll get Hannibal.*

' _I have to protect Hannibal_.'

BA saw the fear in Murdock's eyes. "It's okay, fool."

The look of fear stayed on Murdock's face. BA glanced at the door to be sure no one was watching. Then, very gently, BA took Murdock up in his arms and held him close. Murdock tried to push himself away at first.

This man was strong like BA. Maybe, just maybe, it was BA.

Murdock buried his face in big man's shoulder. Even if this wasn't really BA, he made Murdock feel safe. Maybe Henry and Decker would stay away from him now.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Hannibal moaned as he shut the alarm off. On the other side of the bed, Face rolled over, but didn't wake up. Hannibal forced himself to his feet. It was time for him to relieve BA.

He yawned as he opened the door to the next room. He started to walk in, then froze. BA was rocking Murdock in his arms! Hannibal smiled. BA could hide it all he wanted, but they knew the truth. The big man was nothing but a teddy bear!

BA looked up at Hannibal. "He woke up once."

"Good. Was he okay?"

"He was scared. Didn't seem to know who I was."

"Did he say anything?"

"No."

Hannibal sat on the side of the bed and watched Murdock closely. "I hope the shaking in his hands go away completely, like Richter says it will."

"Me, too. Poor fool's already got enough wrong with him. Don't need nothin' else."

BA tried to lay Murdock back down on the bed. Murdock's eyes shot open and he clung to BA like a frightened child.

"It's okay, man. Hannibal's here. He'll stay with ya."

Murdock looked at Hannibal. Hannibal smiled and held his hand as BA laid him down. Murdock's glance moved quickly between BA and Hannibal.

"We're both here with you, son. You're safe now."

 _'Hannibal? He's alright!'_

*Just another trick.*

' _No! It's the colonel. The guys are here for me!'_

*Where's Face?*

' _He's fine. He has to be! I'd die if anything happened to the Faceman.'_

*Interesting.*

Hannibal was worried by the vacant, clouded look in Murdock's eyes. It was as if he wasn't there. "Can you hear me, son?"

*Are you going to answer the fake colonel?*

Murdock was tired, too tired to fight with the voices anymore. He sighed, then drifted off to sleep.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Richter grabbed the papers he was reading and ran upstairs. "I found it!"

Hannibal motioned for him to keep quiet around the sleeping pilot. "Found what?"

"I finally found the Vero file."

"Anything interesting?"

"Very. I thought at first that Henry was using left over Vero from the project. But the drug only stays good for up to six weeks. It was about eight years ago that they approached me about using it. The project was shut down about a year after that."

"Which means that someone out there is still making it."

"It seems that way."

Hannibal's eyes twinkled with excitement. "Richter, stay with Murdock. Face needs a lift to the VA."

"The VA? Why?"

"He has an appointment with Dr. Henry's personal files!"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Murdock's thoughts are in _italics_. *The voices in Murdock's head are shown with asterisks.***

Face glanced around as the elevator doors opened. Dr. Henry had just left for lunch, that should give him an hour to work a scam. As if it would take that long!

He straightened the uniform he was wearing and walked up to the receptionist desk. The nurse looked up from the paper she was filling out. "Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm here on behalf of Colonel Decker. He requests that I leave this file with Dr. Henry."

"Dr. Henry is out at the moment, but I'll take it for him."

"No, ma'am, I'm afraid that won't work. My orders are to give this to Dr. Henry personally, or leave it on his desk."

Just for good measure, Face flashed his winning smile. The nurse looked down as her face reddened. She gave him a smile back, and called for an orderly to lead the way to Dr. Henry's office. Face followed the orderly, turning back once to gave the nurse another smile.

Once at the doctor's office, the orderly unlocked the door. Face started to go inside. "I will be a few minutes. I'm supposed to leave a note if Dr. Henry is not available."

The orderly shrugged. It was already past his time to leave anyway. This man was military, he could be trusted, right? "Just be sure to lock the door as you leave."

Face nodded and closed the door. He went to the coatrack, where Henry's white coat was hanging. Just like he knew it would be, Face found a drug vial in the pocket. He took a paper and pen out of the file he had brought and copied down everything off of the label. Once he was done and had put the vial back, he turned to the filing cabinet. His picks made short work of the lock. He raised his eyebrows at the loose papers and mixed up files. He glanced through everything as quickly as he could until he finally found what he wanted. Underneath the papers in the back, there was a partially used vial marked 'bad' taped to a paper with an address. Face quickly copied down the address, then locked the cabinet. He stuffed the fake file inside his uniform jacket and left the office, locking the door. On his way to the elevator, he smiled again at the still blushing nurse at the desk.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Face followed Richter to Murdock's room. BA was already there. Murdock had had a nightmare and refused to let go of Hannibal's arm. So they had decided to hold the meeting around the bed. Face hadn't seen Murdock awake yet, and he was frightened by the clouded look in the pilot's eyes. He patted Murdock's arm.

 _'Face! It's Face!'_

*Or someone who looks like him.*

Richter read the information Face had gotten from the vial. "If they're using the same code they used eight years ago, this batch was made two weeks ago."

"What about the address?"

"That I don't recognize."

"Well, it's nice weather for a road trip. BA, get the van ready. Face, scam any supplies we need."

Face and BA moaned. Hannibal was on the jazz again.

*Look. They're going to leave you.*

 _'They wouldn't leave me. Would they_?'

*You know they will. They don't want a weak, useless crazy man like you.*

' _But we're a team.'_

*This isn't your team. They're just pretending to be to make you talk.*

 _'No! I'll prove it!'_

Murdock let go of Hannibal's arm and grabbed his hand instead.

"No, Murdock. You'll stay here with Richter. Just till we get back."

*Some team. They're leaving you.*

 _'No! I want to go with them!'_

Murdock shook his head.

Face tried to reason with the pilot. "We'll only be gone a few days, buddy. You'll be fine."

*See? If that was really your best friend, wouldn't he want you to come?*

 _'Please. I don't want to stay.'_

Murdock shook his head harder.

"Murdock, you need to rest. You're still extremely weak. You need to stay here with me."

*He's probably going to send you back to Henry as soon as they leave.*

 _'I don't want to go back to him. I want to go with them.'_

*How? They don't want you. And if they leave without you, you'll never see them again.*

 _'I have to go with them!'_

Murdock shook his head even harder until it made him lean over the side of the bed and throw up what little lunch he had eaten earlier. Now extremely dizzy, Murdock lay back against the pillows and gave them his sad puppy dog eyes.

Face sighed. Once he saw those eyes, it was impossible for him to say no.

BA stood firm. "You can't go, fool. You can't even keep your food down!"

*He's right. You're a fool. What good could you do them?*

Face glanced at Hannibal. He knew the team leader was weakening. "Listen, son. We won't be able to take care of you properly. You'll be better off to stay here, where Richter can keep an eye on you."

*This is your beloved colonel? He wants to leave you.*

Murdock's bottom lip quivered and a tear fell down his check. Face shook his head. Murdock was going with them. There was no way that Hannibal could resist that!

Hannibal stood from where he had been sitting on the edge of the bed. "Face, be sure to get a pillow and some blankets."

 _'I'm going with them! They're taking me with them!'_

The colonel looked at Murdock, who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "You will eat when we tell you to, whether you're hungry or not. Anytime we think that you're tired, you will sleep. Is that clear, Captain?"

Murdock nodded, grin still plastered on his face.

Face held Murdock's hand, staring at the pilot. Normally Murdock's grins made him seem like an overgrown child. But with the vacant look in his eyes, it made him look crazy in a bad way.

Richter couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You can't let him go with you! He still has the drug in his system."

"You said the research showed no problems with detoxing. The drug's only dangerous when being administered. He'll be fine."

"He's too weak. He needs an exercise regiment, he needs to rest where it's quiet."

"So we won't turn the radio on."

"Colonel, I don't believe you understand how serious this is."

"I understand just fine, Richter. I understand that Murdock needs us, and we need him. We're a team. Murdock is going with us."

*They're fighting because of you. They're liable to give you back to Henry just to keep the peace. They won't be able to work if they argue every time they're around you.*

Richter looked to the other team members for support. Face had sat on the bed beside Murdock, who was holding on to the con man's arm like he was scared to death, all traces of his grin gone. BA stood between Richter and the bed, as if daring him to make a move against Murdock.

Realizing that he had no chance of winning, Richter held his hands up in defeat. "Fine. But I want him to rest as much as possible. Keep him on the nutrimental supplements I started him on and three healthy meals a day, and make sure that he walks every few hours to build his strength back."

"We will, Doc." Hannibal turned to the captain. "Rest starts now. You sleep while we get the supplies."

 _'They're still going to let me go!'_

Murdock gave a small nod, closing his eyes.

Richter followed Hannibal from the room. "Smith, you can't be serious."

"I'm not serious, I'm Hannibal."

"Murdock's not strong enough to go anywhere."

"He's stronger now then when we took him from the VA."

"And he still refuses to talk. Tell me, Smith, when has Murdock not talked?"

"When he has a reason not to. Murdock is strong, probably stronger than all of us."

Hannibal looked back at the room. "They wanted him to talk, and he found a way to keep his mouth shut. And if I know Murdock, he's not going to open his mouth until he is absolutely sure that it's safe to do so. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have supplies to pack."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Murdock's thoughts are in _italics_. *The voices in Murdock's head are shown with asterisks.***

Murdock had almost made it to the van by himself. He wanted to so badly to prove that he was strong enough for the trip. Dressed in his khakis, t-shirt, leather jacket, converse, and baseball hat, he started across the yard. He made it to the edge of the drive, then his legs gave way. BA helped him the few remaining feet.

With Face's help, Murdock managed to get in the back seat and curl up with a pillow and blanket.

*Big baby. Need someone to tuck you in?*

 _'He's just being nice. My Face would have done that for me.'_

*Too bad your Face isn't here.*

BA, Face, and Hannibal were getting in their seats. Murdock could hear Richter standing beside the van, giving instructions to Hannibal.

Lighting his cigar, Hannibal assured Richter again and again that Murdock would be fine.

BA finally yelled "That's 'nough, fool!" and drove off.

Even with his eyes closed, Murdock could tell that the three of them kept looking back to check on him. He sighed. His team would have been doing that, too.

 _'Maybe it really is my team.'_

*Are you willing to take that chance? What if they just want you to talk?*

' _No, I won't talk. I won't betray my team!'_

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Henry walked back to his car, his face red from having just cussed out the station attendant. When he asked for his windshield to be cleaned, the nervous, young attendant had grabbed the wrong bottle, spraying degreaser on the window instead of washing fluid. Henry had to wait for the boy to clean it up, making him late for a meeting with Decker. It had been three days since Murdock had disappeared and there hadn't been any sign of him. Needless to say, Decker was not happy.

As Henry pulled out of the gas station, he happened to glance in his mirror and see a black van. He knew that van! He had seen a picture of it in the files from Decker. It was the A-Team's van! He had to follow it!

He pulled off into a parking lot, letting the van go past, then pulled back onto the road behind the van. Forget Decker's meeting, he was going to find out what the A-Team was up to.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

BA had been driving for almost five hours. Murdock had been sound asleep pretty much the whole time, Face and Hannibal kept dozing off, too.

BA pulled in at the next gas station. As BA reached over to wake up Hannibal, he noticed another car pull in the station.

Hannibal yawned and told a still half asleep Face to wake Murdock. Hannibal got out of the van and stretched, while BA filled the tank.

In the back of the van, Murdock gave a huge yawn and rubbed his eyes.

"Come on, buddy. Let's go stretch those legs." Face helped him to the sliding door.

Face started to open the door when Murdock gasped and grabbed Face's arm.

"What?"

Murdock pointed out the front window. All Face could see was a man in a car.

"What is it, Murdock? Murdock!"

Murdock's eyes rolled back and he sank to the floor, his whole body trembling.

"Hannibal! BA! Get in here!"

BA threw the sliding door open, Hannibal right behind him. "What's wrong with 'im?"

"I don't know. He pointed to that man in the car over there, then this happened."

Hannibal glanced at the man in the car. "Get in, BA. We've got to get out of here."

"What's wrong, Hannibal?"

"That man over there fits the description Richter gave me of Henry. He's tailing us."

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Henry watched the white haired man and the big black man get in the van and drive off. He knew from the descriptions in Decker's file that they were Smith and Baracus. He hadn't seen Peck, but he could have been in the back. Possibly with Murdock?

Henry let them drive aways before following.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Face and Hannibal had gotten Murdock back in the back seat. Face was now sitting with Murdock's head on his lap. Hannibal had went back to his seat up front, leaving Face with orders to alert them as soon as Murdock came to.

There wasn't any need for an alert. When the pilot woke, he began crying, clinging to Face. Hannibal watched him sadly. The shaking was back to being only in his hands, but the fear was still very much there. Hannibal wished he had been paying closer attention to the other cars at the station. Maybe he could have prevented this.

BA tried to keep an eye on Murdock without looking like he was keeping an eye on Murdock. He also kept an eye on the road behind them, trying to see if Henry was still following them. Murdock may get on his nerves, but he wasn't going to let anyone hurt the little guy.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Henry tried his best to stay back. He hadn't tailed anybody in a long time, and he was a tad rusty. But, he wanted the A-Team. That would definitely get him a pardon. And he would do whatever was necessary to catch them.

One thing he knew for certain, if patience is a virtue, then he was going to be the most virtuous man alive!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Murdock's thoughts are in _italics_. *The voices in Murdock's head are shown with asterisks.***

Hannibal was really beginning to think that he should have made Murdock stay with Richter. Ever since they had seen Henry at the gas station, Murdock had clung to Face like his life depended on it. He no longer responded to their voices, he just stared straight ahead.

Face continued to talk to him. In fact, the con man was starting to lose his voice. "Look at me, buddy. You're safe. Murdock, please look at me."

BA looked around the town they were driving through. He pointed out a road sign to Hannibal.

"Hm, a camp ground. Good idea, BA. Let's stop there for the night."

The camp ground was perfect. It was too early in the year for family camping trips. They had the whole place to themselves.

"BA, after we get Murdock out, why didn't you drive back into town and pick up something to eat. Don't forget to get something healthy, like Richter said."

Opening the sliding door and climbing in, Hannibal carefully approached Murdock, not wanting to scare him. "Murdock? Time to get up."

Murdock still showed no sign of awareness that anyone was talking to him. When Hannibal gently pulled him to the door, he meekly followed. Once outside, with Face and Hannibal on either side of him, Murdock walked around the parking lot. Face wanted to cry. Murdock was acting like a well behaved robot, blindly following commands.

When BA returned, Hannibal, Face, and Murdock were laying on the ground, cloud watching. Face had thought that maybe the sky would bring Murdock around. But the pilot still stared, unseeing.

Hannibal went to see what BA had brought. "What's for dinner?"

BA grinned sheepishly and held up a paper bag.

"BA! I don't believe Hamburger Heaven is on Richter's list of healthy places to eat."

"Why not? They got lettuce and tomatoes. Them's vegetables, right? Besides, I thought the fool would like this."

Hannibal thought for a moment. "Lettuce and tomatoes. We'll tell Richter that he had a salad!"

Face helped Murdock sit down at the picnic table while Hannibal and BA brought the food over. Hannibal unwrapped one of the burgers and held it in front of Murdock. After smelling it a few moments, Murdock tried to focus his eyes on it. He was hungry. He reached for it, but his shaking hands couldn't quite get ahold of it. Hannibal gently put the burger in the pilot's hands.

Murdock slowly brought it to his mouth, but between his hands shaking, not being able to see it clearly, and not having very much strength, he can't get a bite. He tried a few more times. Soon he had ketchup and mustard all over his face, in his hair, and down his shirt.

*Useless! You can't even feed yourself.*

*No wonder your team left you.*

Murdock threw the burger to the ground as hard as he could.

*Oh, look at that. Now you're having a temper tantrum like a two year old!*

He tried to reach for something else to throw, but BA grabbed his arms and held him. Murdock struggled against the big man, tears falling freely.

*You're trapped now!*

*They've pretended that they're your team. They're going to take you back to Henry. That's why you saw him. He's coming for you!*

 _'Noooo!'_

*Where's your precious team now?*

The voices in his head grew louder and multiplied. Murdock just wanted to get away. He continued to try to free his arms until he heard, "That's enough, Captain!"

 _'Hannibal?'_ Murdock stopped fighting as he looked up at his commanding officer.

Hannibal saw Murdock's eyes start to clear. He put his hand on Murdock's shoulder, patting it gently to reassure the pilot.

*That's not Hannibal. He's just pretending.*

 _'Shut up! That's Hannibal! That's my colonel. My team is here!'_

Murdock grinned at his team.

BA gladly surrendered his third hamburger to Murdock. Hannibal helped him eat it. Face had a huge grin plastered on his face as he watched Murdock's now clear eyes sparkle again. Everything would be okay now, he just knew it!

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Henry sighed with relief. He had been following the A-Team all day and it finally looked like they were going to stop for the night. At last he could have a break! He was exhausted. He wondered idly where they were going. There wasn't much along this stretch of road.

Henry's frown deepened when he realized what the next town was. Surely the A-Team wasn't going to stop at that bump-in-the-road town? The only things there were a gas station, a small grocery store and post office, and a pharmacy.

Henry's eyes widened. Surely the A-Team hadn't found out about the lab! But why else would they be driving this way? Driving as fast as he dared on the narrow, winding road in the dark, Henry hoped that he wasn't to late to warn the staff and hide the Vero.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Murdock was already asleep in the back seat for the night. Hannibal, Face, and BA sat in their seats watching the captain.

"He still ain't said nothin'."

"Hannibal, you don't think that he can't talk, do you?"

"I don't know guys. The drug is capable of causing brain damage, especially considering how long he was on it. But I think we should give him more time. Maybe he'll come around."

The three of them settled in for the night, listening to Murdock's heavy breathing. None of them wanted to accept the fact that Murdock might not be able to talk. The possibility of the hand shaking being permanent was bad enough. But if he could talk, why hadn't he?


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm soooo sorry about not posting this morning! My internet was down. :( Tomorrow should be back to normal (Lord willing and the internet stays up!). One small change for this chapter, Hannibal's voice over the radio is in _italics_.**

Murdock seemed to be much better the next morning when he woke up. He even managed to crawl to his own seat beside Face.

"How are you feeling?" Face really hoped that Murdock would start talking.

Instead the pilot gave a thumbs up. He grinned at each of the guys in turn, in his own way assuring them that he was fine.

Hannibal was disappointed, too, but at least Murdock's coordination seemed much improved. Slow progress was better than no progress.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

"There's the town, Hannibal."

Hannibal did a quick survey of the area. The small town was nestled in a forest. The trees would provide plenty of protection for them. "Great, BA. Let's park here and scout the area. Murdock, will you be okay here alone for a few minutes?"

Murdock nodded, giving the ok sign.

"All right, meet back here in ten minutes."

When the three of them got back to the van ten minutes later, BA grabbed Hannibal's arm. "I gotta tell ya this where the fool can't hear."

"What is it?"

"At one of the houses, I seen Henry's car parked out back."

Face came up behind them. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Just didn't want him to know."

Murdock's eyes were closed, but he opened them when Face opened the door. He grinned at his team mates. Face and Hannibal grinned back, and Murdock was sure that he saw the corners of BA's mouth curl up.

"All right, men, what have we got?"

"Something not on the level, that's for sure, Colonel. I took a look at the pharmacy. There's a lot of people in there, running around, moving stuff."

"Wasn't nobody in the houses, but wasn't much of anythin' in the houses. No pictures, or decorations. Hardly any furniture."

"The gas station looks fine, just empty. It appears that the whole town is at the pharmacy."

"So, what's the plan?"

"It's a surprise."

Face and BA rolled their eyes.

Murdock raised his hand.

"You want to say something, Murdock?"

Murdock raised his eyebrows and gave a half grin. He pointed out the window.

At first the guys couldn't see anything. Hannibal finally spotted something in a clearing about seventy yards away.

"It's a helicopter!"

Murdock nodded, grinning.

"Leave it to Murdock to find something that flies! Good eyes, Captain."

"Are you going to tell us the plan, Hannibal, or should we just guess?"

"Of course I'll tell you the plan, when you need to know it! We've got to get in the pharmacy and see if they're the ones making Vero, and if so, why. Face, you find a way to get them to let you inside. BA, you cover the back of the building and I'll cover the front."

Murdock looked at the colonel expectantly.

"You have the most crucial part of the plan, Captain."

Murdock's eyes lit up.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Face tried the pharmacy door, it was locked. He knocked loudly, hoarsely calling for help.

When the door finally opened, Face stumbled in and collapsed. A couple men helped him up and into a chair while another brought him a glass of water. Face drank it eagerly.

"What are you doin' here, mister?"

Coughing as if trying to clear his throat, Face explained. "I was running away. I just couldn't take anymore of that woman's nagging! I didn't care where I went, as long as it was away from her."

Coughing again, he continued. "Now I think I should have stayed home. My wallet was stolen this morning, my car broke down, and I've been walking about four hours. This just hasn't been my day."

Most of the men seemed sympathetic. A few still looked suspicious. The one who seemed to be the leader asked, "What are you going to do now?"

Face thought a moment. "I'm going back home. All the bad things that happened must have been a sign. I'll go home as soon as I can."

He stood up, his legs slightly shaking. "Does anyone have any odd jobs? I'm a hard worker, honest."

The men looked at each other, then the leader said, "We've got a, um, shipment to load. You help us and we'll pay cash."

"Oh, thank you!" Face grinned, following the man to the basement.

The place looked like a lab right out of an old black and white horror film. Face wondered if they had been using the same equipment Dr. Frankenstein had used. The man pointed to the boxes stacked floor to ceiling along the wall.

"These need carried upstairs. We'll need them loaded on the truck when it gets here."

Face nodded. He joined the men who were already carrying boxes. Each time he picked up a box, he expertly peeked inside without anyone noticing. So far it had all been lab equipment. He was starting to think that there wasn't any Vero here, when he peeked in a box and found it full of drug vials.

He carried it upstairs. When he neared the men at the door, his steps slowed. Just as one of the men asked if he was alright, Face's eyes rolled back and he collapsed, dropping the box and shattering the contents on the floor. One man ran to Face, checking his pulse and breathing. The others ran to the box, searching through the glass shards inside to see if any of the vials had survived.

Several of the men began swearing. "We were behind on orders already. This bozo just made us lose ten grand!"

"It's not his fault. Poor guy's exhausted."

"Make all the excuses you want for him, you're the one whose going to tell Hank Raymond that a case of Vero was destroyed."

Back at the van, Murdock eagerly tapped the microphone to get Hannibal's attention.

 _"Did you get it on tape, Captain?"_

One tap. Yes.

 _"Good. Hang tight. We're going after Face."_


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hannibal's voice over the radio is in _italics_.**

Face moaned as he 'regained consciousness'. The man helping him to sit up was the only one who didn't look like he wanted blood.

Face gave a weak smile. "I think I passed out."

"You idiot! You just ruined a whole case!"

Face frowned, looking at the box beside him. "Case of what? Hey man, I just asked for a job. You didn't say anything about this stuff being something valuable."

"Well, it is. Maybe you should be the one to explain it to the boss."

"Explain what to the boss, that you can't handle a simple shipment?"

Everyone in the room, with the exception of Face, jumped to their feet as another man walked in. Face recognized him from the park. It was Dr. Henry.

The leader stepped forward. "Mr. Raymond, what are you doing here?"

Raymond?

"Yeah, 'Dr. Henry,' what are you doing here? Does Decker know you're here? Does the government know that you're making this stuff?" Face gave the box beside him a shove.

Henry walked over to Face, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his feet. "Do you have any idea how much that case was worth?"

Struggling to breath, Face managed to say, "By itself, I'd say about ten years in the federal prison."

Henry gave a smile and let go of Face. "Funny, Mr. Peck. Maybe I should show you how it works. What do you say, how about a hands-on experience?"

"No, thanks. I prefer my hands-on experiences to include participants of the feminine gender." Face began sweating. This guy knew who he was. Anytime, guys!

Henry's smile grew wider. "I think you need a little help in telling the truth."

Someone handed him a vial and a syringe. "Why don't you tell us what you're really doing here, and where the rest of the A-Team is."

"I don't think you should do that without my doctor's approval."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll just give you a high enough second dose that you'll never need a doctor again. I do hope your life insurance policy is up to date, though."

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Murdock struggled to get control back. As soon as he heard Henry's voice over the speaker, the trembling started again.

He managed to pull himself off the floor enough to grab the microphone. He tapped out SOS, well, as close as he could with his hands shaking so bad.

Hannibal's voice came over the speaker. _"We're going in, Murdock."_

Murdock sighed with relief, allowing himself to fall back to the floor.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Face struggled against the guys holding him. Henry stood in front of him, syringe in hand.

"Anything you wish to confess now?"

"Yeah. I confess that I don't like you."

"What a pity. And here I was hoping for a second date. Oh well, it's not like you'll have to deal with me much longer anyway."

Face fought as hard as he could as the needle entered his arm.

Hannibal stood outside the pharmacy window, gun aimed. He fired, the window shattered and the syringe exploded.

Henry began shouting for his men to fire back.

Hannibal ducked behind a car as bullets flew all around him. He fired back and BA fired from the backside of the building.

He had to give them credit, they held their ground well. It was taking longer than he expected.

Just to make it a little more fun, Hannibal lit a string of firecrackers he had found in the van and tossed in the window. They were probably Murdock's firecrackers. Hopefully the captain would forgive him for taking them without permission. Although, where he had gotten them in the first place was a mystery.

The men scattered as the firecrackers went off at their feet. Soon, Hannibal heard one of the men shouting "Don't shoot!"

"Hold your fire, BA!"

Hannibal went in the front door of the building, BA went in the back. All the men inside dropped their weapons and raised their hands. BA had all of them stand against the wall, while Hannibal checked on Face.

He was laying on the floor, his whole body shaking. As worried as he was, Hannibal couldn't help but smile as he listened to Face's ramblings.

"Of c-course I d-don't like you, Henry. Why w-w-would I l-like you? After what you d-did, why on earth w-would I l-like you? You d-d-don't like m-me and I d-don't like you. Sounds l-like we're even. W-why w-would I w-want to g-g-go on a d-date w-with you?"

"Are you alright, Lieutenant?"

"Of c-course I'm alr-right. I'm f-fine. Why w-wouldn't I b-be? Are you alright? I'm j-j-just f-fine."

"How is he, Hannibal?"

"From the looks of it, I don't think he got very much of the drug." Hannibal looked at the liquid on the floor from the syringe. "But, I think he's going to talk our legs off on the way home!"

"Can't leave yet."

"Why not?"

"Henry ain't here."

Hannibal pointed his gun at the men. "Where's your boss?""

The men looked at one another, not saying anything. Hannibal fired a shot over their heads.

Finally, the man who had helped Face stepped forward.

"There's a door to a tunnel in the basement. The tunnel comes out on the edge of town. I don't know if you'll be able to catch him, he's headed for the helicopter."

Hannibal ran outside, just as the helicopter took off.


	14. Chapter 14

Murdock breathed deep. Maybe fresh air would help.

He carefully climbed out of the van, holding on to the door with a death grip as he stood on his trembling legs. They remind him of the first time he had seen a newborn calf. How it had tried so hard to stand, only to fall on it's nose again and again. He closed his eyes. That's how he felt, like all he had been doing lately was falling on his nose over and over.

A loud noise echoed through the woods, interrupting Murdock's thoughts. He carefully made his way past a few trees to see what it was. He legs began shaking more as he watched Henry climb out of a trapdoor under a tree.

Henry pulled two boxes out of the hole. He glanced around quickly, then made his way through the woods. The boxes must have fairly heavy, he wasn't able to move very fast. Murdock was thankful for that as he followed, holding on to the trees for support.

Soon, it became obvious where Henry was heading. Murdock tried to think of a plan. He couldn't let Henry get away.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Henry approached the helicopter. He sat the two boxes down for a second's rest. After selling these two boxes, he would have just enough money to set up the operation again, on a smaller scale, of course. But the profits would build and so would the operation.

Henry was about to put the boxes in the helicopter when his head filled with pain and everything went black.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Murdock leaned against the branch he had hit Henry with, trying to catch his breath. Looking down at Henry then up at the chopper, Murdock smiled as he got an idea.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Henry heard a helicopter start up as he came to. Opening his eyes, he realized he was in a helicopter. That's right, he was getting away with the Vero.

He looked beside him, then panicked. Murdock held the controls, grinning wildly. At that moment, Henry remembered Murdock's promise to take him for a ride in a helicopter. He tried to reach for the door handle, but he was tied to the seat with what appeared to be cords from a parachute.

Henry screamed as the chopper left the ground.

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Hannibal let out a sigh of relief as the helicopter went up and over in a loop de loop.

Murdock was flying it.

Hannibal laughed as he turned to go back in the pharmacy. Back inside, BA was locking all twenty men in the janitor's closet. Fortunately for them, it was a large janitor's closet. Face was still laying on the floor trembling and still answering Hannibal's "Are you alright?" question.

Hannibal lit a cigar. "Gentlemen, I think a big step was taken today in getting our captain back."

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT

The landing was a hard one. But then again, the flight itself hadn't been that great. Actually, it was horrible. Murdock had never been so stressed while flying. It had been really hard for him to control the chopper with his shaking limbs.

Murdock opened the door and tried to step out. Instead he fell into Hannibal's arms.

"I've got you, Captain."

Hannibal held on to the pilot and smiled at the sight of Henry, who had passed out at some point in the ride. Murdock clung to Hannibal weakly as they walked back to the van.

By the time they got there, BA had gotten Face into his seat. Face had almost succeeded at getting control back. He still shook slightly but had managed to stop talking.

Hannibal helped Murdock climb into the van. Murdock lay down on the floor between the seats, he was too tired to make it to the back seat. Between the walking, the shaking, and pulling Henry into the chopper, he felt like he could drop dead.

Hannibal got in his passenger seat and turned around to check on his boys. Face was smiling at Murdock, who was already softly snoring.

Hannibal grinned at BA as he pulled out his cigar. "I placed a little, informing phone call to the authorities. They'll be hear any minute to pick those guys up. They'll find the tape Murdock recorded, that should put those guys away for quite awhile. Let's get out of here."

"Where to, Hannibal?"

"Let's go back to Face's place. I think we could all use a nice, long beach vacation!"

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

They had been driving almost two hours. Hannibal was about to doze off when Face asked, "How did he do it?"

"How did who do what?"

"Murdock. How did he keep from talking when Henry started drugging him? I was trying my hardest, and still kept rattling off the answer to whatever I heard."

"I don't know, Lieutenant. He was protecting his family. A man can do impossible things when he's protecting the ones he loves."

"Or when he's just crazy. Like you was back there."

Face rolled his eyes. "Imagine what I would have been like if I had gotten a higher dose. You'd have two crazy fools to deal with!"

Face and Hannibal laughed so hard at the face BA made that they almost didn't hear the small voice.

"Hann'bal?"

Everything went silent as BA stopped the van and all three men turned to look at Murdock. He looked up at them and asked, his voice weak from disuse, "C-can we s-stop at Hamb-burger Heaven?"

BA answered before Hannibal had a chance to. "Sure, fool. We can stop there."

Murdock smiled and closed his eyes again. "Thanks, b-big guy."

Hannibal smiled at his men. "I love it when a plan comes together!"

 **A/N: We're not done yet! One more chapter!**


	15. Epilogue

**A/N: This time the words in _italics_ are a flashback.**

Richter opened the filing cabinet and put a file back. It had taken him almost a week to reorganize the files after Dr. Henry used them.

He sighed as caught sight of the file that read 'Capt. HM Murdock.' He wondered where Murdock was. It had been a little over two months since he had seen the A-Team.

Richter leaned against the cabinet, thinking back to what had happened a week after Murdock had left with the A-Team.

 _~~AT ~~AT~~AT~~AT~~_

 _"I'm coming!"_

 _Richter hurried to answer the door. When he opened it, he stepped back in surprise. He definitely wasn't expecting a General at his door._

 _"Dr. Richter?"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"May I come in?"_

 _"Of course, come in please."_

 _Richter lead the General to the living room. "Please, sit down, sir."_

 _"Thank you, Doctor." The General made himself comfortable. "Now, Doctor, I am here to inform you that the charges that were brought against you have been found to be false. You are hereby reinstated at the VA and all mentions of this incident have been erased from your record."_

 _"Thank you, sir!" Richter felt like shouting with excitement, but managed to keep a straight face. "Sir, what happened to Dr. Henry? If I'm allowed to ask."_

 _The General adjusted his glasses. "I think you have reason to know what became of Dr. Henry, as you know him. His real name is Henry 'Hank' 'Raymond."_

 _"Hank Raymond, as in, the man who created Vero?!"_

 _"The very same. As I'm sure you know, Raymond created Vero as a truth drug for, government purposes. His project was shut down after it was discovered that he was abducting 'volunteers' and experimenting on them with the drug, which had proved quite dangerous. He was sent prison." He paused._

 _"Yes, but why was he at the VA?"_

 _The General seemed to hesitate. "He was released unofficially. He was promised a pardon in exchange for, working for the military."_

 _Richter raised his eyebrows as if he didn't understand. But he understood perfectly. The military wanted Henry to use Vero to find the A-Team._

 _"To make a long story short, Doctor, we discovered that as soon as Raymond was released from prison, he set up shop again, making Vero and selling it to whoever could pay, and unfortunately that included the Army. His operation has been shut down, thanks to some outside help."_

 _'Yeah, I bet it was the A-Team,' Richter thought._

 _"Raymond has been sent back to prison, and the military officer who set up this whole mess is being dealt with."_

 _After the General left, Richter realized that he had been so excited that he had forgotten the General's name. Stockard, Stockholm, Stockwell, something like that._

~~AT~~AT~~AT~~AT~~

Richter closed the filing cabinet and sat back down at his desk. He wished Smith would at least send word of Murdock's condition. He was worried about him.

Richter smiled. When he thought about Murdock, he swore he could hear the captain singing.

He jumped to his feet. He did head the captain singing!

Richter ran out into the hall. Murdock was walking down the hallway, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, singing some Italian song. Orderlies and nurses ran up behind him, grabbing at him, trying to sedate him.

Richter ran to them, shouting for them to leave Murdock alone. Everyone took a step back.

Murdock grinned. "Hey, Doc!"

He walked past Richter, straight to his room, still singing. Richter followed him.

Murdock laughed as he went into his room. "Oh, it's good to be home!"

Richter scratched his head as Murdock gently laid his jacket on the bed then bounced across the room to start playing his arcade game.

Murdock looked perfectly healthy. There was no trembling, he had a tan, he had filled out, and he obviously was talking just fine.

"You seem to being doing better than the last time I saw you."

"Doin' just fine. How are you doin'?"

"Where have you been for the past two months?"

"Gee, Doc, don't know if I can tell you every single place I was."

"Why not?"

"Well, I moved around lot. I might be one place for a few minutes, then move some where else for a few minutes. I don't stay in one place long, you know. Besides that, I have intermittent memory loss. I could have been somewhere and not know it!"

"That's not what I meant." Richter couldn't help but smile. "So, how is Colonel Smith?"

Murdock looked up from the game and winked. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

_The End_

 **A/N: I hope that you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it! Thanks a million for reading!**

 **Virtual hugs and chocolate chip cookies to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed. You guys kept me going! You're the best!**

 **Love, MC**


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